Ma Huang
See alsoEphedrine
Pronunciation:mah-hwahng
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:None
Formal Names:Ephedra sinica
Informal Names:Chinese Ephedra, Chinese Jointfir, Desert Tea, Herbal Ecstasy,
Mexican Tea, Miner’s Tea, Mormon Tea, Popotillo, Sea Grape, Squaw Tea,
Teamster’s Tea, Whorehouse Tea, Yellow Horse
Type:Stimulant (amphetamine class).Seepage 12
Federal Schedule Listing:Unlisted
USA Availability:Nonprescription natural product
Pregnancy Category:None
Uses.Ephedra sinicais one of severalEphedraspecies classified as the Chinese
medical herb ma huang (loosely translated as “yellow drug that constricts the
tongue”). Each species is a plentiful source ofephedrineand pseudoephed-
rine. A study found that the proportion of ephedrine to other mahuang com-
ponents increased if the herb was boiled for two hours. A test comparing the
natural herb to synthetic ephedrine (such as commonly found in medicines)
revealed little difference in how the human body used ephedrine from those
two different sources; investigators concluded that effects depend more on
size of dose than source of drug.
The herb has been used in China for 5,000 years, principally to treat respi-
ratory ailments. Ancient Greek utilization ofEphedravarieties is also noted.
More recently ma huang has been used against narcolepsy. Though thought
of as a Chinese herb, varieties ofEphedraplants also grow in Mexico and the
American Southwest where they were once used to treat venereal disease.
Mormon pioneers used the plants as alternatives to tea and coffee. Almost
nothing is said of using the plants for food, although reports exist about bread
made from the plants and about eating the berries, which are supposed to be
a good source of vitamin C.
In Eastern medicine ma huang is administered as a tea to fight fever,
asthma, and the common cold but has become popular in the Western world
as a stimulant and for promotion of weight loss. One study found that people
using a ma huang and cola nut combination lost over four times more weight
than persons using a placebo. Ma huang is marketed as a muscle builder, as